Emperor's Law Council
Emperor's Law Council | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Emperor's Law Council | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | August 27, 2022 |
New session started | December 16th, 2022 |
| Leadership | |
Sara Mauer | |
| Structure | |
Length of term | 1 year |
| Constitution | |
| Constitution of Makko Oko | |
The Emperor's Law Council is the parliamentary body of the Empire Of Makko Oko, authorized under the Constitution of Makko Oko as a body authorized solely to propose laws to the Emperor for enactment. It is composed of judges and government officials, and serves as the legislative branch of the government. The Council is responsible for drafting and proposing new laws, as well as reviewing and amending existing laws.
History
Before the Council
The Law Council was formed after Emperor Conall Solis revised the Constitution to form a "law suggestion body" referred to as the Emperor's Law Council. Before it was formed, the Emperor made all decisions on legislative affairs and drafted them usually without any feedback, however, cabinet officials would pitch in from time to time. The idea of the council came from the Minister of Justice Sara Mauer after the Emperor struggled to draft what would become the Civil Rights Act of 2022.
Expansion in Authority
Emperor Conall Solis enacted the Devolution Of Council Authority Act Of 2022 before the beginning of the 2nd Meeting of the Law Council that sought to expand the capabilities of the councilmembers. The law gave them the authority to impeach officials, launch investigations and form committees and commissions. Prior to its enactment, they could only suggest laws to be enacted and nothing more.
Formation of the Imperial Security Council
During the 2nd Meeting of the Law Council, Emperor Conall Solis announced in collaboration with the NSS Director John Rexroad and Minister of Justice Sara Mauer the formation of the Imperial Security Council on December 19th, 2022, which was Director Rexroad's idea, in order to combat terrorism and coordinate on national security affairs and legislation.
Powers
Legislating
It is the right and authority of the Emperor's Law Council under the Basic Rights Of Makko Oko to draft and approve laws and amendments for recommendation to the Emperor Of Makko Oko for enactment. Unlike traditional parliaments, the Emperor's Law Council has no official authority to enact laws, and merely approves laws to then recommend they be enacted by the Emperor, who does hold that power.
Supervisory & Investigatory Powers
The Emperor's Law Council has the authority under the Devolution Of Council Authority Act Of 2022 to launch investigations and trials against non-executive government officials, and when the Emperor blesses, executive and ministerial government officials. The council may not launch investigations against their own members, instead those investigations falling onto the IEC, the Inspectorate's Court and, as authorized, the NSS.
Constitutional Amendments
The Emperor's Law Council has the full authority to pass amendments to the Constitution, otherwise known as the Basic Rights, to then be forwarded up to the Emperor for approval. This power was first seen on the 5th revision to the Basic Rights Of Makko Oko, which Emperor Conall Solis approved.
Commissions
The Emperor's Law Council has the right under the Devolution Of Council Powers Act Of 2022 to form and manage commissions for any reason or purpose. The commissions of the Emperor's Law Council can be seen below:
Meetings
The Emperor's Law Council has meetings that are of a yearly basis and they may be stopped at any point by the Emperor or by the President of the council within the current meeting. In addition, they have "sessions" that declare when the meeting is in progress or paused.
List Of All Meetings
| Meetings | Started | Session dates | Ended |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Meeting | August 30th, 2022 | August 30th, 2022 – December 13th, 2022 | December 13th, 2022 |
| 2nd Meeting | December 16th, 2022 | December 16th, 2022 – April 1st, 2023 May 1st, 2023 – November 11th, 2023 |
November 11th, 2023 |
Legislative Process
The legislative process of the Law Council is one of the most collaborative and effective of any parliamentary body in existence today. It all starts with the initial proposal/draft, where the author(s) bring their partially completed or fully completed draft to the floor. After it has been brought to the floor, that starts the initiation phase, which decides if the proposal is better suited for a Commission or Committee. Should it be decided that it is not, the debate phase starts. The debate phase is where all members of the council discuss the proposal and suggest changes all-around. All changes are usually done by line items to prevent double changes.
After all debate has been completed and all changes voted on, then the finalization stage begins where the current iteration of the proposal is reviewed overall and final changes are suggested. After that is the voting stage, the last stage, where all members of the council then vote on if the proposal should be recommended to become law. While the council is built to be highly collaborative, the debate phase is what can lead people to vote against a proposal if their changes aren't implemented.
